Hi Ho, Silver — I’m Off To New Horizons

Almost four decades ago, I entered the ad business as a young buck who could discern between shit and shinola with 50% accuracy.

I became an ad copywriter because I didn’t have the guts to pursue the hard life of striving to make it as a writer-writer.

The notion of being a starving artist until I published my great American novel had little appeal to this young capitalist. I thought advertising would be an easier route. As a kid, I had always loved smart ads from the glory days of the creative revolution, and it looked like a fun way to make a living.

Off I went pursuing an ad career. Man, it was a lot tougher than I thought.

In my first 17-years, I worked 12 different jobs in Youngstown, Akron, Syracuse, Dallas, Chicago, San Francisco, Baltimore, and Atlanta. No, I’m not in the witness protection program.

I worked at everything from a three-person agency to the world’s largest shop under one roof. I worked at B2B joints, CPG agencies, creative hot shops, retail specialty agencies — you name it.

There were no digital agencies back then. We were analog, baby.

Early in my career, I even worked as a circus advance man. It was great training, experiences, and memories. The cotton candy wasn’t half-bad, either.

I was fired three times out of my twelve jobs. That’s batting .750! With numbers like that, you think I’d be in the Advertising Hall of Fame, but, no, I get passed over every year.

The thing is rigged.

Pinging across America as an advertising gypsy, I worked for a couple genuine ad legends, and some insecure, egomaniacal, pe